"Rolf, Rolf, a riddle! guess! try!" and Lili held up a strip of paper and rattled it before Rolfs eyes, repeating, "Guess, guess, Rolf."
So the riddle-maker was now caught in his own meshes.
"Well, at least leave me room to guess in," cried he, striking about him with his arms to make room.
"You can't guess anything," cried little Hunne contemptuously, "I am going to Jule—he knows."
Rolf took the little slip of yellowish paper that Lili was waving back and forth, and looked at it in surprise. In a childish hand-writing that he had never seen before, were written the following words,
"Come lay your hand
Joined thus we
Each the other
That our union
But behold the
That our future
We will cut our
Half for you and
But we still will
That our halves
And with us
Our friendship."
"It is probably a rebus," said Rolf thoughtfully. "I shall guess it after a little while. Just let me stay alone long enough to think it out."
There was not much time left for this however, for the dinner-bell sounded and all the family assembled in the large hall for the mid-day meal.
"What nice thing has my little Hunne done to-day?" asked the father, when they were at last all busy over their plates.
"I made a splendid riddle, Papa, but Rolf never tries to guess my riddles, and I couldn't find Jule, and the rest would not listen to me at all."